Maximizing natural lighting and interior comfort while striving to reduce glare and heat gain is a balancing act architects are constantly facing. When designing for a healthier indoor environment, sunshades are a pivotal part of a building’s design and functionality. In the last 15 years, sunshades have gone from being the first thing value engineered off a building to one of the first things an architect considers when designing a building’s exterior skin. Not only do sunshades enhance the appearance of a building’s façade, but they can save energy, reduce solar heat gain, reduce glare and manage daylight. All of these factors contribute to the building’s efficiency and LEED value.
The shade a sunscreen provides reduces the solar heat gain through the glass during summer months, which helps reduce the costs associated with cooling the interior of a building. During the winter months when the sun sits lower, the sunshade allows for more sunlight to enter the building and thus helps heat the interior.
1. Which elevations do sunshades benefit the building the most?
Typically the south elevation of a building is the one that can benefit the most from a sunshade but the east and the west also require shades at certain times. The east elevation gets the morning sun and the west gets sunlight in the afternoon. The north usually would have a sunshade if they want a uniform look all around the building or if they want to dress up the façade.
2. What are the differences between sunshade types? What style sunshade is best for my design?
The great thing about sunshades is the unique character that they bring to your building’s style. Sunshades have traditionally been used in a horizontal application but have recently seen demand increase for vertical applications, which allows for even more shading and style options.
Some of the most common styles are:
- Vertical sunshades
- Airfoil sunshades
- Eggcrate grille sunshades
- Perforated sunshades
- Radiused sunshades
- Double curtainwall sunshades
- Lightshelves
- Photovoltaic sunshades
We see many architects choose or make their own style based on their building’s characteristics, lighting and energy considerations.
3. How do I integrate sunshades into my façade?
A sunshade can be attached to a number of structures including: steel, curtainwall system, masonry/precast concrete, and other exterior components. Determining how to attach through the building skin such as aluminum composite material (ACM) paneling, EIFS, glass, etc., is also an important consideration.
The key for proper attachment is to make sure there is sufficient structure to support the loads the sunshade will impose. A standard sunshade will project from a curtainwall system 2 to 4 feet, but may project up to 8 feet depending on the environment. Creative manufacturers can also assist in finding ways to give additional support if long spans between anchor points or longer projections are part of the design intent.
When attaching aluminum to a steel structure, it is particularly important to have a shim to separate the dissimilar metals to reduce galvanic corrosion. When attaching to a curtainwall, the sunshade may require additional steel in the vertical mullion at the point of attachment.
4. Does custom add to my cost?
This is one of the questions we get asked the most. We find that it is often more cost effective overall to do a custom sunshade than it is to try and make a stock sunshade fit. There are several things you want to look for in a sunshade supplier that will enhance your finished product and fit your budget.
- Design Assist-A manufacturer should have a design assist department to help you create your vision. There are efficient ways to design your sunshade system that will deliver your project on time and within budget.
- Available Dies-Experienced sunshade manufacturers will have hundreds of dies already made and in inventory to save the time and cost of creating an extrusion die from scratch. This large range of choices can allow you to tailor your design to get the look you desire.
- Pre-assembly-A quality manufacturer will send your sunshades pre-assembled and ready to hang with installation drawings. This can give you one of the most significant savings: time. Sunshades are often one of the finishing pieces to a building, but when a contractor has to assemble parts from kits, it can take several weeks longer and put a project beyond its open date.
5. When should I get design assist?
Manufacturers want their products to look as good as you do when installed. Most will offer design assist services and are the most knowledgeable about the common challenges and unique conditions with sunshades. The optimal time for utilizing design assist is in your design development phase to eliminate any integration or attachment issues. Not only will this yield the best product, it will be the most cost effective one as well.
6. What kind of finish should I consider?
An anodized finish has always been a good option for sunshade finishes, however as products have progressed, Kynar finishes in either two or three coats now offer superior warranties at close to the same cost with a more consistent look. In addition, a Kynar finish can match anodized colors and works well with different manufacturing methods.
Well-designed sunshades can be helpful in finding the perfect balance between energy performance, daylight control and aesthetic design-which is what builds better buildings.
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Tom O’Malley is the vice president of Alsip, Ill.-based Doralco Architectural Metals. For more information, visit www.doralco.com.